Bill-hook.



PATENTEID JULY 25, 1905. s. J. FLANAGAN. BILL HOOK APPLICATION PILfiDAPB. 19.19 05.

lmmmm mums u c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SYLVESTER J. FLANAGAN, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR'TO BASTIANBROTHERS, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BILL-HOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1905.

Application filed April 19, 1905. Serial No. 256,459.

a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county ofMonroe and State of New York, have invented an Improved Bill- Hook, ofwhich the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to that class of billhooks comprising asupporting back piece, to which there is secured'a hook with a pointedend for insertion thereover of the bills, letters, or memoranda to bekept for ready reference, the back piece serving as a means forsuspending the hook from awall or post in any suitable and convenientplace.

This invention relates more especially to that class of bill-hooks whichare termed collapsible, in which the bill-hook proper can be turned soas to lie in a plane nearly or quite parallel with the back piece, so asto take up less room in packing, storing, or shipping, and has moreespecial reference to means for securing these desired features abovementionedin a more economical way, while serving more rigidly and-effectually to hold the bill-hook proper in its operative position.

An essential feature of my present invention consists in a novel meanswhereby the hook is attached to the back piece more effectually thanheretofore and permitting the complete assembling of the bill-hookproper with its directly-engaging parts in large quantities, so thatthey may be thus kept in stock and almost immediately attached to the'desired back pieces upon receipt of an order for any particular kind ofsuch back pieces, which usually bear advertisements of the concernpurchasing them for gratuitous distribution for advertising purposes.

With these objects in view my invention consists in the combination ofthe usual back piece of cardboard, celluloid, or any suitable likematerial hearing when desired the advertising matter of a back plate ordisk arranged to be attached to such back piece and having therein aslot for engaging the upper end of the bill-hook proper when in itsoperative position, and attached to such back plate there is a secondclamping plate or disk havinga suitable groove in which the bill-hookproper is arranged to slide and by means of which it is held against theback plate. The back plate and the clamping-plate with the bill-hookproper are arranged to be assembled in quantities and kept in stock andwhen desired can be attached to suitable back pieces.

The several drawings illustrating my in= vention are as follows: Figurel is aback view of the bill-hook assembled with the hook proper in itsraised or upper position lying flat against the back piece of thebill-hook. Fig. 2 is a side view of the hook proper and the means forconnecting such hook to the back piece. Fig. 3 is a sectional view takenthrough the center line of the back piece and shows the hook in itsdownward or locked and operative position. Fig. 4 is a detailed View ofone of the cooperating plates used to secure the hook proper to the backpiece. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the plate shown in Fig. 4, takenalong the dotted line 00 1 Figs. 6 and 7 are side and edge views,respectively, of the plate used to cooperate with the plate shown inFigs. 4 and 5 for securing the hook to the back piece.

As seen in the drawings, the billhook.consists of a back piece (0,having secured near its lower end by means of eyelets e a plate Z),preferably of metal, with its central portion pressed out so as to liein a plane parallel to the outside portion of the plate and a shortdistance back of it. In this central portion 6 there is formed a shortgroove 6, extending toward the back piece a, and on either side of thisgroove 5 holes it are made to register with similar holes 7L formed in asecond plate 0. This plate 0 has formed along its vertical diameter agroove 0, and such groove is so made as to fit around the hook d andform a slide for such hook. The platec is secured to the plate 6 bymeans of eyelets e, and when thus secured in position upon the plate I)the groove 0 lies opposite the groove 6. The hook d has formed near itsrear and upper end a projection d, arranged to lie in a plane passingthrough the hook d, and this projection is so made as to just fit intothe groove 5 when the plane of the hook is at right angles to the planeof the back piece a and when the hook is drawn downward, so as to bringsuch projection d opposite to such groove I), which is the operativeposition of such hook. It will of course be understood that the plate 0is formed of such material as to permit sufficient springing to allowthe projection d to pass over the central portion 6 of disk 6, justabove the upper end of the groove 6', and hold such projection firmly inthe groove I) when the hook is in its operative position, justdescribed. Thus the plates 6 and 0 when held together by eyelets 6, withthe hook d in the groove 0, form a guide in which such hook may beturned or moved longitudinally of the back piece when the projection dis not in engagement with the groove 5. When the projection d is forcedintoengagement with the groove 6, it will be noticed the groove 6 is soproportioned as to prevent either longitudinal or angular motion of thehook proper. Hence it will be seen that the plates 6 and c cooperate toform a positive means for holding the hook d in a position practicallyat right angles to the plane of the back piece a and also to preventmotion of the hook in avertical direction. It will be noticed, also,that the plates '1) and 0 may be secured together with the hooks clbetween them in any desired quantity irrespective of the particular backpieces upon which these hooks are to be mounted, and thus that thebill-hooks proper may be-mad e in advance and in readiness to securetoany back pieces,- as may be desired. These back pieces a have usuallynear their upper end eyelets f inserted therethrough forhangi'ng themwhere desired, so that the hooks may be used for preserving memoranda,such as bills, orders, &c.

What I claim is 1. In a bill-hook, in combination with the hook thereofand a suitable back piece, an engaging projection formed on suchhook inthe plane thereof, supporting guiding and'locking mechanism for suchhook comprising a guideplate permitting rotary and longitudinal movementof such hook and a separate locking-plate for engaging such projectiononsuch hook and arranged to lock the same against rotary motion whendrawn down to its lowest position, one of such plates attached to suchback piece.

2. In a bill-hook, in combination withthe hook thereof and a suitableback piece, an engaging projection formed on such hook in the planethereof, supporting guiding and locking mechanism for such hookcomprising a'guideplate permitting rotary and longitudinal movement ofsuch hook and a separate locking-plate for engaging such projectiononsuch hook and arranged to lock the same against vertical motion whendrawn down to its lowest position, one of such plates attached to suchback piece.

3. Ina bill-hook, in combination with the hook thereof and asuitableback piece, an engaging projection formed on such hook in the planethereof, supporting guiding and locking mechanism for such hookcomprising a guideplate permitting rotary and longitudinal movement ofsuch hook and a separate locking-plate for engaging such projection onsuch hookand arranged 'tolock the same against vertical and rotarymotion when drawn down to its lowest position, one of such platesattached to such back piece.

4. In a bill-hook, in combination with the hook thereof and a suitableback piece, supporting guiding andlocking mechanism for such hookcomprising-two cooperating plates, one of such platesattached to suchback piece.

5. Ina bill-hook, aback piece,.a'hook having a projectionat the upperendand in the plane of such 'hook, a'firsttplate havinga portion thereoflying in a plane parallelto but removed from such back piece, a secondplate arranged to cooperate therewith and having a groove therein tosupport and guide such hook permitting vertical and rotary motionthereof and a groove insuch first plate to engage such projection andprevent rotary and longitudinal motion-of such hook when in its lowestposition.

6. Ina bill-hook, a back piece, a hook having a'projection at the upperend and in the plane-of such hook, a first'plate havinga portion thereoflying in a plane parallel to but removed from such backzpiece, a secondplate arranged to cooperate therewith and having a groove therein tosupport and :guide such hook permitting vertical and rotary motionthereof and :a groove in such first plate to engage such projection andprevent rotary and longitudinal motion of such hook when in its lowestposition, such plates held together independent of the back piece.

SYLVZESTER J. FLANAGAN.

Witnesses:

ALBERT (J. BELL, CLARA M. SIENER.

